From bushfire survivors to frontline nurses, the Grammy-winning duo’s anthem became a lifeline – now they invite Australians to experience its power live.
SYDNEY, Australia – When the black summer of 2019‑20 turned skies orange and smoke blanketed Sydney, Sarah, a mother of two in the Blue Mountains, sat with her family in an evacuation centre. Her phone battery was dying, but she had one song saved offline: “You Raise Me Up.” She pressed play, and the four of them listened in silence, holding hands.
“It wasn’t about religion,” she later wrote to the duo. “It was about not being forgotten. That song told us we would get through it.”
Secret Garden, the Norwegian‑Irish duo behind that anthem, had no idea their music was playing in evacuation centres, hospital break rooms, and isolated homes across Australia. But the letters came anyway.
“We received thousands of messages during the bushfires and the pandemic,” says violinist Fionnuala Sherry. “Nurses in Melbourne, farmers in drought‑stricken NSW, children separated from grandparents. They all said the same thing: ‘You Raise Me Up’ held us together when everything else fell apart.”
Now, for the first time in 22 years, Secret Garden is returning to Australia – not just to perform, but to thank the country that embraced their music in its darkest hours.
The Song That Became a National Lullaby
When composer Rolf Løvland wrote the melody in 2001 after his mother’s death, he never imagined it would become a global anthem of resilience. But in Australia, the song took on a life of its own.
During the 2019‑20 bushfire crisis, streaming of “You Raise Me Up” increased significantly in affected postcodes, according to internal platform data. In the first weeks of the COVID‑19 lockdown, many Australians turned to the song as a daily ritual – a moment of calm in a sea of anxiety.
“I listened to it every morning before my shift in the ICU,” writes Rachel, a Brisbane nurse. “It reminded me why I became a nurse. It lifted me up so I could lift others.”
The song has been covered by over 1,000 artists – Josh Groban, Westlife, Il Divo, Celtic Woman – and translated into more than 40 languages. It has been performed at the Olympic Games and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. But for Australians, it has been something else: a quiet companion in extraordinary times.
“You Don’t Know Our Faces, But You Know Our Music”
Secret Garden has always been an enigma. Their faces are not famous. Their names are not household words. But their music is everywhere.
“Song from a Secret Garden” has become one of the most licensed pieces of instrumental music in television history. “Nocturne” made Eurovision history as the first instrumental winner in 40 years. Yet the duo remains curiously anonymous.
“We’ve always believed the music should speak for itself,” says Sherry. “But when we read letters from Australians who lost homes, lost loved ones, lost hope – and then found strength in our melody – we realised we needed to come back and say thank you in person.”
The Stories Behind the Statistics
Mark, a farmer in western NSW, had his property decimated by drought. His wife left, his crops failed, and he sat alone in his ute, ready to give up. “You Raise Me Up” came on the radio.
“I sat there and cried for an hour,” he wrote. “Then I drove home and started again.”
Linda, a Melbourne grandmother, played the song at her husband’s funeral during lockdown, when only 10 people were allowed to attend. “The minister said it wasn’t a hymn. I said it was our hymn.”
A group of fire‑affected schoolchildren in East Gippsland recorded their own version of the song, changing the lyrics to “You raise me up to walk this burnt land.” The video went viral locally, raising funds for their school rebuild.
“These are not just stories,” says Løvland. “They are the reason we keep touring. We are not politicians or firefighters. We can’t stop fires or cure disease. But if our music gives someone one more day of hope, that is enough.”
A Homecoming Built on Gratitude
The 2026 Australian tour will span five cities: Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. It will be Secret Garden’s first national tour since their sold‑out Sydney Opera House performance in 2004.
“This is not merely a concert tour – it is a thank‑you note,” says Benny Wang, Director of Wise N Rise Pty Ltd, the tour’s presenter. “Secret Garden’s music has been the background to Australian lives for three decades. Now, they want to be in the room.”
The tour will feature all the classics: “You Raise Me Up,” “Song from a Secret Garden,” “Nocturne,” “Sometimes When It Rains,” and “The Promise.” But the duo has also prepared surprises – new arrangements and pieces written especially for this return.
A Concert with Purpose: The Inspiration Forest
In partnership with Greening Australia, the tour has launched the “Secret Garden Inspiration Forest” – a bushfire‑recovery project restoring native forests in fire‑affected regions. For every ticket sold, one dollar is donated to replant critical wildlife corridors.
“Australia gave our song a second life,” says Sherry. “Now we want to give something back to the land.”
Tour Dates and Ticket Information
Perth – 6 November 2026 | Riverside Theatre, PCEC | Ticketek
Sydney – 8 November 2026 | Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney | Ticketek
Melbourne – 13 November 2026 | Palais Theatre | Ticketmaster
Adelaide – 14 November 2026 | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | Ticketek
Brisbane – 15 November 2026 | Great Hall, BCEC | Ticketek
Ticket Prices: A Reserve $180 | Premium $280 | VIP $380
A Final Word from the Artists
“When we step on stage in Sydney, we will not just be performing,” says Løvland. “We will be looking into the eyes of the people who held our music close during their hardest nights. That is not a job. That is a gift.”
Sherry adds: “Come. Let us raise each other up – one more time.”
ABOUT SECRET GARDEN:
Secret Garden is one of the world’s most successful duos with more than 3 billion streams and 5 million physical albums sold. After close to three decades together, the Irish Norwegian duo of Rolf Løvland and Fionnuala Sherry has collected 113 platinum trophies worldwide. ‘‘Nocturne’’ launched their musical journey by winning Eurovision song contest for Norway in 1995. Other renowned songs in their catalogue include Barbra Streisand’s wedding song ‘‘I’ve Dreamed of you’’ and the iconic ‘‘You Raise Me Up’’ – one of the most covered songs from the 21st century. ‘’You Raise Me Up’’ has been recorded by over 1000 artists in more than 40 different languages. Amongst the famous covers are Josh Groban and Westlife. The different versions have been played over a billion times on YouTube.
